Empower Your Workforce, Create a Powerful Social Impact: Alorica’s Approach to Corporate Philanthropy

As leaders of large-scale organizations, it’s our privilege and responsibility to effect positive change in the lives of our employees and their communities around the world. At Alorica, we strategically focus on achieving these goals through our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, oftentimes also recognized as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); a large part of our ESG is centered around our philanthropic efforts. As Alorica’s Chief Culture Officer & ESG Executive Sponsor, as well as President of the nonprofit Making Lives Better with Alorica (MLBA), for the past nine years, I have seen firsthand what happens when organizations follow their employees’ lead in making a social impact. It not only results in meaningful support for individuals and communities in need, but also enhances company performance, employee satisfaction, recruiting, retention and our alignment with clients’ shared goals. 

A Different Approach to Corporate Philanthropy 

According to Charity Miles, corporate philanthropy has evolved over the years—from companies making charitable donations without a clear connection to their business objectives to now aligning their values, mission and goals through a more strategic philanthropic approach. A critical component of this is employee involvement. A Forbes article recommends asking employees for their feedback because they represent the company and they’ll want to support causes that resonate with their personal values, referencing a report where 86% of employees believe they should have the opportunity to get involved with their company giving. Alorica has been a pioneer of this employee-first corporate philanthropy evolution since 2015 when MLBA, a top-rated nonprofit led by Alorica volunteers, was founded. Through MLBA, Alorica employees help oversee every aspect of the company’s giving program including fundraising, donations, volunteerism, and disaster relief. This approach fosters employee engagement, allowing team members to contribute to causes they care about, while enhancing their perception of the company, which makes for a happy workforce. At Alorica, we have seen our employee satisfaction scores (eNPS) steadily improve over the past few years at the same time as participation in our ESG programs have increased; currently our eNPS is above 70, whereas the industry standard for “excellent” is 50+. 

Introducing MLBA 

MLBA is a non-profit organization available in 8 countries, offering aid to those in crisis situations with nowhere else to turn. The goal is to help people when they need it most, whether it’s by providing food, covering medical bills or assisting with housing. And the best part? It's run by Alorica employees who make all the decisions from fundraising, grant allocation, to community support initiatives. Serving as a platform for employee giving and empowerment, MLBA is recognized for its transparency and impact, with certifications from non-profit authorities, Candid and GreatNonProfits. This grassroots approach to corporate philanthropy enables Alorica to do more for society, while strengthening its workplace culture. 

Purpose-driven, grassroots programs led by our employees are the backbone of Alorica’s ESG strategy. For business leaders looking to jump start their ESG plan or corporate philanthropy program, I highly recommend tapping into your workforce for their thoughts and interests. You can also get ideas from our team members through our recently published 2023 MLBA Impact Report and Alorica’s Philanthropy/MLBA Fact Sheet.

2023 MLBA Impact Report Highlights: 

• Raised over $846,000, granting assistance to nearly 1,000 individuals.  

• Partnered with 80 nonprofits to support underserved populations—people with disabilities, abandoned elderly, and vulnerable women and children.  

• 61% of grant recipients surveyed in the U.S. and Latin America maintained stable housing for over three months after receiving assistance from MLBA.